Gore Bike Wear Countdown 2.0 AS ZO Lady Jacket

Excellent quality as long as you don't mind slightly fiddly sleeve operation

Weight:

292g

Contact:

www.gorebikewear.co.uk

Gore Bike Wear Countdown 2.0 AS ZO Lady Jacket

810Lara Dunn

The Countdown 2.0 AS ZO Lady jacket is a jacket designed for year round use, and with its 'comfort' fit it's aimed at all sorts of riders, not just the super sporty.

I like jacket/gilet combos. I think they are a useful thing to have in a climate that's erratic at best. For a mostly insubstantial weight outlay, you get a full sleeved jacket and a gilet in one, meaning you've effectively got twice the clothing options.

It's made from water repellant Windstopper fabric, with a mesh lining. There are two side zipped pockets that double as ventilation, a rear lumbar pocket with a zip and the jacket stuffs into this if desired, and can be worn as a bumbag/belt affair. The jacket is shaped for the bike, with a dropped tail and a streamlined shape that's flattering and sleek yet comfortable at the same time. The sleeves are articulated with plenty of length.

The sleeves zip off independently, and easily stow in the rear pocket (or anywhere else). It's also finished off with a generous smattering of reflective piping. The jacket comes in a wide variety of sizes and colour options. A men's version is available.

It's one of the heavier zip-off jackets I've tried, partly due to the mesh lining. However, as a result, it's pretty robust and there's no feeling of it being prone to damage. The fabric is pleasantly soft and comfortable next to the skin, and is sufficiently breathable that you're not too sweaty in it even when working hard.

It's surprisingly water repellent and sheds even heavy showers reliably, and would probably see you right in all but the mot persistent rain. The main front zip is easy and smooth to operate, although the final pull is a touch tricky one-handed, but not unusually so.

Sadly, the sleeves are far less easy to handle. With the jacket off it's a simple thing indeed to unzip them or zip them back on again, but whilst wearing it, taking the sleeves off is tricky, and putting them back on again all but impossible without a helpful friend. There's a single zip for each and it's hard to locate the ends, even when stationary. The discrete zip that means you can't feel that it's a zip-off sleeve jacket sadly also means it's harder to operate on the bike.

Considering the gilet in this range is £100 on its own, this does mark good value for money, given that you get a jacket and gilet together. If you're not fussed about stopping to sort your clothing out, then it's a genuinely good jacket made from high quality fabrics. But, if you're looking for something that can quickly be changed on the move, there's better elsewhere.

Verdict

Excellent quality as long as you don't mind slightly fiddly sleeve operation.

road.cc test report

Make and model: Gore Bike Wear Countdown 2.0 AS ZO Lady Jacket

Size tested: Pink EU40

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Aimed at all types of rider for year round use.

Ideal for all but the sportiest of riders wanting a quick change.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Windstopper fabric

Zip-off sleeves

Mesh lining

Reflective piping

Two side zipped pockets

One rear zipped pocket that doubles as stuff sack/bumbag for jacket and also holds sleeves.

Lara has been riding bikes for longer than she'd care to admit, and writing about them nearly as long. Since 2009 she has been working as part of the road.cc review team whilst championing women's cycling on the side, most notably via two years as editor of the, sadly now defunct, UK's first and only women's cycling mag, erm, Women's Cycling.

Believing fervently that cycling will save the world, she wishes that more people would just ride a bike and be pleasant to each other.

She will ride anything with two wheels, occasionally likes to go fast, definitely likes to go far and is always up for a bit of exploring somewhere new and exciting.

Here's how we roll at road.cc:

Every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a real insight into whether it works or not. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective, and we strive to ensure that all opinions expressed are backed up by facts, but reviews are always a reviewer's informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores. It reflects both a product's function and value. Good scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad. Here's what they mean: